


Revivify

by funnygirlthatbelle13



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Death and Resurrection, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Trent Ikithon Gets Bashed, caleb's backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 13:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funnygirlthatbelle13/pseuds/funnygirlthatbelle13
Summary: The fact that Caleb Widogast hasn't died yet is something of a miracle. But when he eventually does go down, what does he discover on the other side? And is it enough to keep him from going back to his friends?





	Revivify

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everybody! So when I posted to tumblr asking which of my two story ideas people were more interested in seeing, this one won by a fair amount. So I made it happen! I hope that you guys enjoy it!!!!

Caleb was used to being on the brink of death. It came with the territory, being an adventurer with next to no protection. But for as many times as he had almost died, he still remained alive. Between sheer luck and his friends’ refusal to give up on him, he had managed to survive far longer than he probably should have.

However, it had to happen eventually. They had been traveling for close to four hours, already exhausted from fighting off bandits, when a pack of manticores had crossed their paths. The group had gotten separated, and Caleb used his very last spell slot to set two of the beasts on fire. That had turned the tide in their favor. Nott was now able to shoot one in the eye, which in turn gave Fjord the chance to decapitate another. Caleb had smiled to himself as he watched his friends kick ass. 

That was when another manticore had snuck up on him. With no armor and no spells and only a dagger to defend himself with, Caleb had no chance against the massive beast, which began to chomp him up. 

“Caleb!” he distantly heard a high pitched voice scream as he desperately fought for consciousness. As he struggled to keep his eyes open, he saw a giant lollipop with spikes appear and smack the beast that was trying to turn him into dinner. He lost track of time as the manticore continued to chew on him, briefly wondering if his friends would be able to bury him. 

Something must have hit the manticore hard, because he felt his body being flung from the creature’s mouth onto the cold, hard earth. Caleb could feel the wind being knocked out of him as he scrambled for one more breath. 

****

The battle was won. Jester had been able to crush the skull of the final manticore with her giant lollipop, flinging Caleb out of its mouth. He looked limp like a rag doll as he flew through the air. 

“Caleb!” Nott shouted as the group began to run towards him. The wizard was barely conscious, but still responded to the goblin’s voice. His head turned towards the sound of her voice as he took a shallow breath. 

“Nott?” he barely managed to whisper. By now, Beau, Yasha, and Nott were next to him, with the rest not too far behind. 

Nott crawled next to him, grasping his much larger hand in her smaller green ones. 

“Yes, Caleb,” she said, “I’m here. We’re all here.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

And just like that, he was gone. The hands did not fidget. The shoulders did not stiffen. The bright blue eyes, always alight with intelligence, were dull. 

“Jester!” Beau screamed, “Jester! Cad!” 

****

Caleb felt light, lighter than air. He had only felt like this once before, when he had first focused on the Luxon. It was as if his soul had left his body completely. He could see and hear what was going on around him, but the vision wasn’t clear and everything that he heard sounded like it was coming from a million miles away. 

He heard someone crying. One, two, three voices? It was hard to tell. Caleb hoped it was only one person crying. He couldn’t imagine that it was any more than two. 

With as light as he felt, it was no surprise to him that he began to float away. He could see the sky growing closer, a welcoming bright blue dotted with fluffy clouds. As he ascended, he turned back towards his friends.

He could see Jester, tears in her eyes, reaching into her pink haversack. He could see Caduceus praying quietly, a hand on Jester’s shoulder. He saw Beau not too far from Caduceus, sitting in the grass with her face covered. Next to her he saw Yasha, who stood stoic and solitary. He could see the large green frame of Fjord holding back a smaller green frame. Nott was kicking and clawing in his grasp, trying to get to a body. His body. As awful and grizzly of a sight as it was, it didn’t trouble him as much as he would have thought to see his dead body on the ground as his soul flew closer and closer to the sky. The clouds were growing larger and larger now, and it was clear to Caleb that he’d be entering one soon. He arched his back and spread his arms out wide, letting the clouds engulf him so all he could see was bright white. 

****

This was hell, Beau thought as she backed away from Caleb’s body. She crumpled onto the ground about fifteen feet away, trying to ignore what was going on around her. 

Nott was sobbing into the wizard’s chest, occasionally mumbling out words that no one could understand. Fjord picked the goblin up kicking and screaming as the clerics rushed over.

“Nott, you gotta give them room to work,” he said as he tried to hold her back, “They can’t do anything if you’re on top of him.”

Jester knelt down next to Caleb, her hands shaking as she searched her bag for a diamond. Caduceus stared down at the lifeless body of the wizard who only minutes ago had ripped him out of a manticore’s claw with his giant cat’s paw. 

“Wildmother,” Caduceus began to pray as he placed a hand on Jester’s shoulder, “You have given me reason to believe that this man has a great destiny to fulfill. If it pleases you, help us to bring him back so that he may achieve that which he is destined to do.”

“Traveler, please,” Jester whispered as she held the diamond over Caleb’s body, “Please. I’m not ready to lose another friend.”

****

Caleb blinked once, twice, three times; his eyes had not yet adjusted to the bright white that surrounded him. His vision focused, and he saw two figures about twenty feet away from him. The one was a small, round woman about two or three inches taller than Jester. She had reddish brown hair that was braided and pinned around her head like a crown framing her round, freckled face. She was smiling at him, her deep brown eyes filled with such warmth and comfort. Next to her stood a tall, muscular man with hints of silver creeping into his fiery orange locks. He stood tall and proud, an imposing figure if not for the kind twinkle in his blue eyes. Though it had been nearly twenty years since Caleb had last seen them, he recognized them instantly.

“Vater? Mutti?” 

The man smiled at him as the woman’s eyes began to water.

“Come here, son.” 

Caleb rushed towards them, eyes full of tears as he felt his parents’ arms around him for the first time since he was a child.

“I am so sorry,” he whispered to them as tears began to stream down his face, “I am so, so sorry.”

“Sh,” his mother whispered soothingly, her thumb running circles against his temple, “It wasn’t your fault. That wasn’t you.”

“But-but I killed you,” he stammered, pulling away. 

“You were a child,” his father said, “A child who had been manipulated and abused for years. What you did that night is not a reflection of who you are. It is a testament to your strength, that you were able to piece yourself back together after someone had broken you so completely.”

Caleb stared up at his father, still several inches shorter and infinitely less muscular.

“I’m not as strong as you,” he mumbled, averting his eyes.

“No,” his father agreed, a small smile lighting that twinkle in his eyes, “You’re stronger.”

“We are so proud of you,” his mother said, placing a hand on his shoulder as she did so. He felt another hand on his other shoulder, but his parents both remained still. 

He turned around to see two new figures who had not been there when he had first entered this strange place. The one who had touched him seemed to be a human man with pale skin. Though much of him was covered by a dark green cloak, Caleb could see a smile on his face. Behind him stood a matronly woman with red curls cascading around her dark skin. Though Caleb was hardly the religious sort, he recognized these two figures from the descriptions his friends had given to him.

“Traveler?” he asked the man. 

The cloaked figure nodded.

“Wildmother?”

She smiled widely at him, and he felt the same warmth he was accustomed to from being close to Caduceus when he worked his miracles.

“My friends want me back, ja?”

In truth, he had nearly forgotten that his friends would be able to bring him back. All thoughts of the recent struggle had gone to the wayside once he had seen his parents. He looked back to them. His mother was crying, but that did not make her smile falter.

“You don’t have to go,” she said, “It is you choice. But I think your friends would miss you very much.” 

“But I will miss you,” Caleb all but whispered. 

“We are never far,” his father assured him. 

Caleb turned back to the two deities who were waiting for him. 

“Can I say goodbye?”

The Traveler nodded. He turned back to his parents.

“I almost don’t want to go,” he confessed to them, a smile creeping onto his face. 

His mother placed a hand on his cheek and reached up to kiss his forehead. 

“I am so proud of the man you are becoming,” she told him, “Never forget that.” 

His father came over, gave him a pat on the back, and ruffled his hair.

“Make sure we don’t see you here again for awhile, alright?” he joked, “And, Bren?”

His parents exchanged a glance before his father spoke again.

“Don’t feel as if you are doing us a disservice… forgetting about us if you prefer your new name. I think Caleb suits you better.”

“Danke, Vater,” he mumbled as he pulled his parents into one last hug. He focused in on every detail of them; the soft, faded fabric of his father’s tunic and the smell of yeast on his mother’s apron and the way they all fit together like a perfect little puzzle. Eventually, they all pulled apart, and Caleb wiped at his eyes with his sleeve before turning back to the two smiling deities.

“I am… I am ready to go now.” 

The Traveler held out his hand, and Caleb took it, taking a few steps before turning back to see his parents one last time.

“I love you,” he whispered, smiling while simultaneously holding back tears. His parents glanced at each other, his father wrapping an arm around his mother as they turned to look back at their son.

“We know."

****

The entirety of the Mighty Nein stood around Caleb’s body as Jester cast. Though the diamond had shattered and shone with light as it had the last time Jester had cast this spell, Caleb still seemed to be dead. Fjord debated sharing his thoughts with the others for a few more seconds before tentatively opening his mouth. 

“Maybe he doesn’t want to come back.”

If possible, Jester seemed to somehow cry even more. Her hand trembled as she tried to focus in on the spell.

“No,” she muttered, “No, he has to. Caleb wouldn’t- he can’t-“

Just then, a bright flash of radiant white light emanated from all around Caleb’s body, forcing them all to look away. It was Yasha who first dared to look, and what she saw made her gasp.

Caleb still laid there motionless, his eyes now closed, but everything around him seemed different. For one, every inch of his was sparkling clean from his head down to his boots. For another, all of the wounds seem to have healed on their own. And his hair, which had been matted with blood and strewn about, now lay spread out like a fan behind him with wildflowers delicately placed throughout. 

At first, no one dared to move towards him, but Caduceus eventually ran a finger through Caleb’s uncharacteristically luscious hair before reaching for his wrist. But before Caduceus could check for a pulse, a soft whine escaped from Caleb’s lips.

****

The first thing that Caleb noticed was that it was dark now. The second thing he noticed was that he hurt. His entire body ached.

“Caleb?” a voice whispered. He knew that voice. It belonged to a woman. His mother? No, it was not her. Her voice was much lower and warmer, not to mention the accent was entirely different. 

“Mr. Caleb,” another voice, also familiar but male this time, muttered in his ear, “If you can, we’d greatly appreciate if you gave us some sign that you can hear us.” 

It took him far longer than he cared for to understand what was being asked of him, and even longer to actually open his eyes. When he did so, he slowly began to process everything that was going on around him. 

Caduceus was directly above him, a serene smile on his face.

“Good, you’re awake,” he said, his warmth radiating towards Caleb. 

Caleb turned his head slightly and saw Jester smiling next to him, tear stains running all down her face. He did his best to smile back at her, which seemed to make her happy. 

He felt the wind being knocked out of him once more as Nott landed on his chest. 

“Don’t fucking do that again,” the tiny goblin woman scolded as she nestled into his chest. He awkwardly moved his arms to pet her on the pack. He could hear some of the others laughing at his predicament.

“How bout you let him breathe, Nott?” Fjord teased as he entered Caleb’s line of sight. Though no tears were visible on his friend’s face, Caleb could sense relief in the way Fjord was standing and looking at him. Nott sheepishly moved to Caleb’s side as Fjord gave him a wink. For his part, Caleb grasped Nott’s hand.

“You had us fucking scared there, man,” Beau said from somewhere to his left. Caleb craned his head to see her, but she was just out of his line of sight.

“Ja… sorry,” he said, “I had some, uh, things I needed to take care of while I was gone.”

“Did you see Molly?” Yasha asked. Her voice was so quiet, Caleb was surprised that he even heard the question.

“I had hoped so, but nein.”

Truthfully, his mind had been a bit occupied by other things and hadn’t even thought of the circus man. But now he was a little saddened that Mollymauk hadn’t been there to see him when he died. Although thinking about how a conversation between Molly and his parents would have gone, it was probably for the best. 

“Well, I think we all need a good, long rest,” Caduceus said, “How about we set up camp here?”

****

Late that night, Caleb stared up at the stars from where he had been propped up under a tree, a smile on his face. Despite dying earlier, this was the safest and happiest he had felt in a long time. Jester had braided his hair into a long plait so that the miraculous flowers wouldn’t move before promptly falling asleep on his left. Beau had stayed by his side the entire time, watching for anything that could potentially be a threat before eventually falling asleep on his right side, using the crook of his elbow as a pillow. Frumpkin sat around his neck like a scarf, purring away as he slept. Nott had curled up into his lap not unlike a cat, and he couldn’t help himself from feeling overwhelmed by affection for her as he tucked a piece of green hair out of her face. Yasha was not too far from him either, as she was currently using Beau as a pillow. Caduceus and Fjord (who felt the need to call him a lady killer every time they made eye contact) were just on the other side of the campfire keeping watch. 

Caleb closed his eyes and savored the moment. The warmth of the fire. The sound of gentle rainfall mixing with the gentle fire’s crackling. The feeling of Frumpkin’s purring vibrating against his neck. And a strange,cold piece of metal poking into his chest?

Frowning, he pulled at the chain around his neck to see what was amiss. Aside from the amulet he wore at all times to protect himself (which was cleaner than he had ever seen it before in his life), the chain had a new pendant on it. It was a silver crescent moon with a small, teardrop shaped turquoise bead hanging from it. He recognized it instantly with a smile, perfectly remembering how it used to hang from his friend’s horn. He chuckled as he watched Molly’s pendant glisten in the firelight.

“I will see you someday, ja?” he mumbled to the pendant, “But not yet, circus man. Not yet.” 

And with that, he tucked the two pendants under his shirt and attempted to find a comfortable position to rest in. It had been one hell of a day, but there were plenty more to come. No, he wasn’t done. Not yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm actually pretty happy about how this turned out. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but I think I did pretty well. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little fic, and I hope you enjoyed it! Drop a kudos or a comment if you did; it really means the world to me!!!


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